


Mogo Does(n't) Socialise

by windyautistic



Category: Green Lantern (Comics), Green Lantern Corps (Comics), Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps (Comics)
Genre: Gen, gave myself emotions and accidentally made some thematic parallels!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:53:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27732592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/windyautistic/pseuds/windyautistic
Summary: Mogo doesn't socialize. It's an in-joke among the veteran corps members, said with a grin to an unsuspecting new recruit. It is also a truth. Mogo doesn't hang around Oa, or cross paths on patrol, or show up at Guy Gardner's sometimes-open Warriors bar. Mogo is, after all, a planet. But Mogo is also a member of the Green Lantern Corps, and one of the oldest still active.(Alternate title: A Planet Looking For Friends In All The Right Places)
Relationships: Mogo & The rest of the Corps
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	1. Mogo Does(n't) Socialise

Mogo doesn't socialise. It's an in-joke among the veteran corps members, said with a grin to an unsuspecting new recruit. It is also a truth. Mogo doesn't hang around Oa, or cross paths on patrol, or show up at Guy Gardner's sometimes-open Warriors bar. Mogo is, after all, a planet. But Mogo is also a member of the Green Lantern Corps, and one of the oldest still active. 

Mogo cares deeply for every fellow Lantern, and understands them. Understanding them, after all, is Mogo's job. Were Mogo's core to crack and shatter again, the pieces lost forever this time, the rings would still seek out beings with great willpower, with minds able to overcome great fear. Mogo's purpose is to guide the rings to those candidates with not only _will_ , but a strength of character to use their willpower for the good of others.

When the Guardians had begun neglecting the good of the universe they'd pledged themselves to, Mogo had worried. But Mogo's loyalty was to the Corps, to their ideals, and Mogo could trust the Lanterns even if the Guardians went astray, so Mogo had worried in silence. When their neglect turned into action in favour of pure order, crafted in their own image, Mogo's fate had been sealed already. In their neglect, Krona was able to take Mogo's core, and turn its connections poisonous with Parallax's fear.

Mogo had hoped, in the last second before the crackling shot of black light pierced through the core, that Lanterns Rayner and Stewart had heard Mogo's apology, for not being able to help them more. (For not being strong enough to hold out.) And then Mogo had screamed, pushing regrets and pain out in a shockwave crashing onto Oa.   
(At least Bzzd hadn't been there to witness it.)

The drifting fragments of what-had-been-Mogo had echoed with partial thoughts. Drifting apart with only regret and pain, they might have stayed fragments. But they held other thoughts too. Sparks of willpower began to align, one fragment resonating with its neighbour, then two, then four. A thread of love bound these pieces together, drawing them to an origin point. Two lights had followed the fragments, and the pieces-that-had-been-Mogo felt comforted by their presences. And what-had-been-Mogo became Mogo again.

Mogo was riddled with fractures, running from core to crust. But the others, Mogo's fellow and beloved Lanterns, were in danger. The being that called himself the First Lantern was pulling their very essences apart, gorging himself on their pain, ready to tear the universe apart with it. Mogo could never- _would_ never allow that. So Mogo, still drawing fragments from the corners of Oa, drew the Lanterns (the dear friends) in as well. They would be PROTECTED.   
(And, if need be, shown that they were still so, so strong.)

  
After the First Lantern had been defeated (-the Corps shone so bright it seemed to scorch Mogo's surface, or perhaps it was just pride in them-) the universe, as it always had, continued. For a time, the Corps had even stayed on Mogo, as they tried to rebuild from Oa's shattering, and their ordeal through and between dimensions. (Mogo hadn't minded. After all, Mogo knew well that rebuilding a shattered core was easier with support.)

  
Oa was rebuilt once again, and Mogo given leave to return to Sector 2261, and to rest. Mogo had settled into a comfortable orbit, and taken time to reflect, while the fractures were given time to settle into their repairs.

The realization of the symmetry of it all amused Mogo. The Corps, the Guardians, Mogo, and Mogo's fellow Lanterns all, had been shattered before. The pieces had scattered, but time and again, they had reformed and rebuilt. They held each and every one of them together, in the end.

So while Mogo doesn't socialise, Mogo does listen. Lanterns come and visit Mogo, and wander among the trees. Mogo listens, and Mogo now knows how to see the cracks in them, and Mogo will always help to hold them together. 


	2. (Extras)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some various Mogo-POV snippets that didn't fit in the flow of the oneshot, but i gotta inflict these emotions SOMEHOW, so here you are.

Meeting new Lanterns is something Mogo treasures. Somar-Le is young, and has already seen much. When Tomar-Tu had asked that his ring choose one from among his people, Mogo had scarcely entered the parameters before knowing she was the right choice. Somar-Le positively _radiated_ willpower, as it sparked and crackled with the enthusiasm and hope of youth. Ganthet and Sayd's concern kept Somar-Le away from active duty, and Mogo understood. She was too young now, to face the harshness of the universe. But she had already known great fear, and overcome it. When the time comes that Somar-Le is old enough to train and receive her badge, Mogo has no doubts she will be a Lantern spoken of for generations.

* * *

Mogo _properly_ meets Lanterns Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz as a working pair, already well on their way to becoming experienced Lanterns. (Mogo had seen Lantern Baz before, during the battle with the First Lantern, but did not have enough time to know what to make of the newest Lantern from Earth.) They are here to train with Lanterns Gardner and Rayner, of course, but they are also here to deliver news, and to meet with their fellow Lanterns. Mogo is busy, working as Corps headquarters, and the pair are equally busy with their training, but Mogo greets them warmly, and manages to see enough to begin to understand them.

Lantern Baz arrives first, worried about his partner until Kilowog reassures him that Lantern Rayner will be making sure she arrives safely. His relief flows out in waves, even as he settles in to talk with Kilowog. Mogo sees his determination has strengthened and taken solid root, already a contrast to his fiery unsteadiness when Mogo first saw him. Lantern Rayner arrives, already explaining to Lantern Cruz and answering her questions. Everything is new to her, a universe so wide and open it's almost frightening, and yet she still ventures into it. 

Their potential and already clearly-visible growth comforts Mogo. The four previous Lanterns from Earth had each carried small worries about their home, and the hands it was in. Mogo sees those worries vanish as they watch the pair train, and is glad for them all.

While Mogo is able to watch Lantern Cruz's training, it takes asking Lantern Rayner after the pair have left back for Sector 2814 for his opinions and ring records, for Mogo to see Lantern Baz's. The choice of trainers is wise, in Mogo's opinion. Challenging Lantern Baz's imagination, encouraging his sight of possibilities others have not yet seen; pushing Lantern Cruz to assert herself, and helping her find and grasp her willpower within. Mogo knows they're both well-suited to the strange and chaotic threats that always seem to find those Lanterns from Earth.

* * *

Lanterns often call Mogo the heart of the Corps. If that is true, then Mogo knows that Salaak is the first in its nerve centre. Salaak often presents as rigid in procedure, and is more often seen chastising a Lantern for rule-breaking than offering encouragement or praise. But Mogo knows, as do any other Lanterns who have known Salaak long enough, that he is driven by the ideals that uphold the Corps, and will see them shown in every aspect, down to the smallest rules and procedures. (And they've learned that he will _not_ sacrifice those ideals to the rules, that he will sooner snap the procedures he holds dear with his own hands than see them do harm.) His ability to coordinate Lanterns in the field, and to manage the constant flow of information into the command centre is unparallelled. To Mogo, however, it is his dedication to his duty, and the care he puts into it, that stand out most of all.

* * *

Kilowog has served as the primary trainer for recruits for a long, long time. Though he has stepped back from this role recently, he will never hesitate to help when a junior Lantern comes to him with questions, or when Lantern Stel needs help with an unusually large class, or when a trainee needs specialised support to learn. (It is little wonder, Mogo thinks, that him and Lantern Gardner became such fast friends.) He cares for the rookies and wants to see them succeed, and Mogo knows he attends every funeral as the loss of a family member. His visits to Mogo are regular, a quiet place to hold the memory of his family and world, and Mogo is happy to give him that peace. The way he continues to love with his whole being, even after the loss of his world, Mogo thinks, is his greatest power.

* * *

The veteran Lanterns from Earth defy categorisation. Intensely individual, yet only making sense as a group. Their strangeness is part of their charm, to Mogo.

Lantern Stewart is built of contradictions. A builder and a destroyer, a soldier and a negotiator, explosive power channeled by careful restraint. His cracks run deep, branching off and running into one another, every piece bound tightly together by duty and determination. Mogo sometimes worries that he believes he must hold together on his own. (Mogo is glad, whenever the others visit, how clear it is they don't believe the same.) He still treads uneasily on Mogo's surface, and Mogo can feel doubled memories of black light and core collapse, his radiating onto Mogo's own. Mogo wonders if he knows that his thoughts and emotions are so clear, even as his voice and demeanour are calm. Mogo doesn't point it out to him, though. It's just nice that he's visiting again.

Lantern Rayner often visits to paint, these days. Mogo enjoys watching him seek out an interesting tree, or beautiful view, or even just the sky above. Sometimes he paints in silence, while other times he talks to Mogo. His pains and scars are obvious to Mogo, even as he's grown better at painting over them with a smile and a joke. But Lantern Rayner seems more aware now, at least, that he's not alone. That his friends in the Corps would not see him lone Torchbearer again even if he were the last life in the universe. The vibrant colours he paints them in say it clearly.

Lantern Jordan understands the experience of a shattered core better than most, even if he won't speak of it easily when he visits Mogo. He's been shattered down to his core before too, and left to rebuild from the fragments. Mogo knows well he'd tear himself apart again, to protect his friends. His essence is strange, ever since he forged his own ring, his mind and his will all tangled together, always glowing slightly with energy. But in the strangeness, Mogo is glad that Lantern Jordan's restlessness has found an anchor in them all. He's learned to trust his friends to keep him from ever truly falling apart again.

Lantern Gardner's visits are the most frequent, and the most plainly spoken of the four. He talks to Mogo about himself and them, about life, about the happenings on Oa; sharing stories, frustration, and concerns. He takes walks through the forests, just breathing in and appreciating the life around him. His scars run deep, but he's grown over and through them, his roots breaking apart the old pains to grow his life on top of them. He'd follow his friends into the abyss, but he doesn't have to fear falling into it. He knows they'll hold on to him.

Individually, Mogo might worry about them, but they've shown time and again that they know how to find their ways to each other, to all their other fellow Lanterns, to Mogo, or even back to their home on Earth. They all hold each other together, as they venture out in the universe to help.

**Author's Note:**

> normally i have long endnotes that i cut down to avoid rambling. today i just present a hot plate of emotions, with a bonus side dish of more emotions, all of them warm and fluffy :)


End file.
